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Roofer Interview Guide

What’s Hard to Evaluate in a Roofer Interview

Roofing work is judged by whether it leaks two years later, which an interview obviously can't test directly. What you can test is whether the candidate treats fall protection as automatic, and whether they understand water management, not just shingle installation.

Print this page for a combined worksheet with this trade’s questions plus the full 30-minute framework: notes lines and a rating scale after every question, ready to fill out by hand during the interview. Use your browser’s print function (Ctrl/Cmd+P) to generate it.

Technical Competency Questions

Walk me through how you'd handle a valley or a penetration (chimney, vent stack) where water intrusion risk is highest.

Tests real flashing and underlayment knowledge (the areas where most roof failures actually originate) versus surface-level shingle-laying experience.

Tell me about your fall-protection setup on a steep-slope job. What did you use and why?

OSHA's fall-protection "competent person" standard exists because falls are the leading cause of death in this trade specifically. A rehearsed-sounding or vague answer here should end the interview, not just lower your rating.

Describe a time you found unexpected deck damage once tear-off started. What did you do?

Tests judgment under a real, common field surprise: stopping to reassess versus covering it up to stay on schedule.

Red Flags

Roofer Interview Worksheet

Candidate name: Date:

Work History (5 min)

Walk me through your work history: what you did, what you were responsible for, and what tools or systems you used.

Notes:

Rate interviewer response 1–10, 10 being the best12345678910

Technical Competency (10 min) -- Question 1 of 3

Walk me through how you'd handle a valley or a penetration (chimney, vent stack) where water intrusion risk is highest.

Notes:

Rate interviewer response 1–10, 10 being the best12345678910

Technical Competency (10 min) -- Question 2 of 3

Tell me about your fall-protection setup on a steep-slope job. What did you use and why?

Notes:

Rate interviewer response 1–10, 10 being the best12345678910

Technical Competency (10 min) -- Question 3 of 3

Describe a time you found unexpected deck damage once tear-off started. What did you do?

Notes:

Rate interviewer response 1–10, 10 being the best12345678910

Safety (5 min)

Tell me about a specific time you stopped or changed a job because of a safety concern.

Notes:

Rate interviewer response 1–10, 10 being the best12345678910

Reliability (5 min)

Tell me about a specific mistake you made on the job and what you did afterward.

Notes:

Rate interviewer response 1–10, 10 being the best12345678910

Red Flags -- check any that apply

Candidate Questions (5 min)

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